The Scientist
by bevinharris
Summary: What if the Scientist had created the B.R.A.I.N with a soul instead of simply intellect? Would it have still destroyed the world? Or would something else have happened?
1. Chapter 1

What if the Scientist had created the B.R.A.I.N with a soul instead of simply intellect? Would it have still destroyed the world? Or would something else have happened?

Okay, this is my first attempt at a 9 story, and my first attempt at publishing on . Please review! I don't own anything from 9, more's the pity.

The Scientist looked at the shell of his creation. The B.R.A.I.N sat quietly in the corner, lifeless. It was a large sphere of copper and steel, with a single red eye and one crude arm. He had created it at the behest of the Chancellor. The leader of their country wished for a way to create machines to aid in the rebuilding of the country. They had emerged victorious from a long, viciously fought war, but the country was now devastated and penniless. Hence the need for a way to rebuild cheaply, without incurring crippling debt. The result was the B.R.A.I.N, an autonomous thinking machine that was designed to design and build machines and tools to aid in the restoration of their country. In order to truly be autonomous, however, it needed independent thought. And therein lay the problem.

"What shall I do with you?" he mused. "You need a mind, an independent mind, but what is a mind without a soul?" The Scientist returned to his notes. During the course of his research, he had recently come across something quite intriguing. He had discovered a way to copy his own intellect and transfer it into an automaton, thus enabling it to think independently. The process was simple enough, though slightly risky. The problem was with the result. The automaton receiving the transferred intellect would have the power to reason, to learn, and to improve, but not to feel. There would be nothing except intelligence guiding its actions. What if those actions were wrong? Pure intellect does not acknowledge morality.

There was a second option. The Scientist reviewed an old journal of his, written many years ago, while he was still a student at the university. He had come across something called soul transference, where a portion of one's very being could be split apart and used to animate an artificial body. This would create a person, a being with a soul and the ability to feel, although the person would be somewhat limited in character for some time. With experience, the donated soul fragment would grow into an entire soul and the donee would become a fully realized individual. Also, the donor's soul would heal, given time.

There were problems with this approach, however. First was the danger to the donor. The soul transference was much more violent than a simple intellect replicating, and if the donor was not strong and healthy, death was a real possibility. Second was the result. An intellect replication would always result in an intellectual being, with only the intellect of the donor determining the limit of the intellect of the recipient. Soul transference was a much more random event. The soul, as he knew from his research, was comprised of nine distinct parts, each part having a distinct personality. Unfortunately, there was no way to determine which part would be transferred, and therefore the personality and intellect of the recipient could not be known beforehand. One could create an inventor, a warrior, a leader, a scientist, a healer, an artist…the possibilities were endless. In a way, it was much like starting a family; one could not predict the personality of the resulting child. And like a child, the recipient would need care and teaching for some time. Could he care for such a creature? Could he teach it what it needed to know to survive in this world? Of his two options, intellect replicating or soul transference, which would ultimately result in a better machine, one which would help rebuild his shattered country?

The Scientist sighed, lost in thought. A pounding on the door interrupted his musings.

"Open up, the Chancellor wishes to see his project!"

A pair of soldiers, armed and standing at attention, stood at his door. Behind them stood the impressive figure of the Chancellor. "Well, my friend, how goes the work on my machine? Is it ready to work for the glory of the Motherland?"

"Sir, the B.R.A.I.N is progressing well, but it will be some time before it is ready to perform even the simplest of tasks. The amount of testing that must be performed…"

"My friend, I need better than that. The B.R.A.I.N must be ready soon. Our country must be ready for any dangers that might threaten us. We must build machines that will be able to meet those threats and neutralize them."

"Sir? I realize that I have no experience in politics, but we are the strongest country in the world, even in our damaged state. Everyone else is in shambles. Surely there is no one foolish enough to attempt to attack us, or strong enough to offer us any harm."

The Chancellor gave the Scientist a hearty slap on the back that made the lighter man stagger. "My friend, you are a true patriot, and loyal to your country and your leader. But you are right, you know nothing about politics. There are dangers out there that the average citizen knows nothing about. Other people envy us our good fortune, and what they cannot have, they wish to destroy. We must be constantly on the alert, so that if we must, we can destroy them first."

"Now, what is the next step? Remember, there must be progress."

The Scientist frowned. Something about the Chancellor's speech bothered him. Making ready to destroy other nations after they had already been defeated? That was neither logical nor humane. And if enough people followed him without thinking through the possible consequences…he came to a decision.

"Sir, the next step will be to bring the B.R.A.I.N to full consciousness. For this, I will need to build some equipment from scratch. I can have a list of the supplies and parts needed on your desk by tomorrow afternoon, but the equipment itself will take some time to build. It will be very delicate and will require much testing before I am willing to use it. After all, one mistake and the B.R.A.I.N could be irreparably damaged. I realize this will cost a fair amount…"

"Say no more. You will have your supplies as soon as my men can deliver them. After all, nothing is too good for my machine."

When the Chancellor and his men left, the Scientist let out a deep sigh. His decision had been made, and he hoped it was the correct one. He gathered up one of the two stacks of papers on his desk. The top sheet read, "The Process of Intellect Replication." He glanced through them one last time, then dropped them into a metal wastebasket by his desk. A lighted match soon followed. As the papers caught on fire and burned, the Scientist looked once more at his creation.

"My B.R.A.I.N, you shall have a soul."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After months of building, testing, and rebuilding, the soul transference machine was finally ready. The Scientist had labored over his creation tirelessly, determined that it should be perfect before he used it on himself and the BRAIN. He had decided to use part of his own soul rather than a volunteer, fearing that the process might be fatal. There was no reason to risk anyone's life but his own. And if someone like the Chancellor should volunteer his soul, the BRAIN could end up selfish, power-hungry, or simply evil. It would be almost worse than having no soul at all. At least the Scientist knew that he, himself, was a basically good human being.

When he was not working on the transference machine, the Scientist had spent the last few weeks working on the BRAIN, attempting to teach it as much as he could without the benefit of full consciousness. He had managed to teach it to manipulate objects, solve simple problems, and trace out words on a pad of paper held to a clipboard. This would, with any luck, enable it to communicate. He wished that he had been able to build speech capabilities, but that had proved impossible. He had done all he could at this stage; the BRAIN could not learn any more without a soul.

Everything was set up in the Scientist's lab for the experiment. The BRAIN stood in its corner in the room. Across from it was the soul transference machine. It consisted of a round metal mask mounted on a stand connected to a power source. Mounted on the outside of the mask was what looked like a small, elaborately incised button. Three wires ran from the button to a plug located low on the BRAIN's metal body. The donor would don the mask; when activated, the machine would remove a portion of the donor's soul and transfer it to the recipient. Hopefully, this would be accomplished without either killing the donor or destroying the recipient.

It was time; the transference machine, the BRAIN, and he were as ready as they could possibly be. The Scientist approached the mask, took a deep breath, and swung the mask into place. The machine activated itself. There was a deep, tearing wrench as something was torn from the Scientist and pulled away from him. Through the mask and the haze of green lightning, he could see the BRAIN, jerking slightly from the voltage, bathed in green light. Then it was over.

As the light faded, the Scientist pushed himself away from the mask and, on shaking legs, approached the BRAIN. The machine seemed to track him as he approached; something it had never done before. The old man handed the BRAIN its clipboard and pencil.

"BRAIN, can you hear me?"

The BRAIN's eye blinked, but did not respond.

_Oh Lord, please let it have worked._ "Do you know me? Do you know who I am?"

For a long moment, the Scientist and his creation regarded each other. Then, finally, the BRAIN lifted its clipboard and wrote. It lifted the clipboard and showed its creator what it had written.

"Father."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The two of them worked together in the Scientist's lab. Father, as he now thought of himself, was astounded at the intelligence that BRAIN displayed. In less than one week it had fashioned itself a second arm, which was more refined in design than the original one. Its command of language was increasing daily, even though it was hampered by the lack of a voice. Father found it some books on sign language and taught the both of them to sign. BRAIN was now constantly asking questions; not all of which Father could answer, even though he did his best to satisfy his child's curiosity. In order to satisfy BRAIN's thirst for knowledge, he set up tutoring sessions with several colleagues, and brought BRAIN into his own house and garden, allowing the machine to interact with his family. Everyone who met BRAIN was amazed at its intelligence and curiosity. Father was pleased to note that BRAIN was starting to develop a real personality, a gentle, paternal one. However, one fear plagued Father's thoughts. What would happen when the Chancellor got hold of BRAIN? Would the Chancellor force BRAIN to produce war machines? Would BRAIN snap from the pressure? Or would it actually enjoy it, and willingly create machines of death?

Father decided to take BRAIN's education in a new direction. He started to teach BRAIN everything he could about peace, tolerance, love, respect…anything that would prevent him from ever deciding to harm other people. BRAIN was intrigued by this new direction, and constantly asked for more books on the subjects. However, some of his questions were difficult to answer.

"Father, why do humans destroy each other?"

"My son, there are many reasons. Sometimes it is done out of fear, sometimes out of hatred, sometimes out of a misguided sense of moral superiority. Sometimes, simply because the other person was…an inconvenience. There are many reasons, but I do not know of any good reasons."

"Then why was there a war? Were not many humans destroyed then?"

Father sighed. "Yes, I am afraid that many humans were destroyed in the war, and many more humans' lives were ruined, even if they were not killed themselves. I never understood the reasons for the war; I believe it had something to do with political boundaries, or perhaps differences in religions. Perhaps it was simply an excuse for one country to attempt to assert power over another country. Whatever the reason, you have seen the results, and they are not good. Many countries are devastated, and it will take many years for them to recover. The war should not have happened."

"Father, would you ever destroy another human?"

"I…I do not know. Perhaps. Even I am capable of such acts, you know."

"Why?"

"Why? Oh dear. Well, perhaps, if someone were threatening to destroy my wife, our children, or yourself, and if destroying that other human were the only way to prevent that, then, yes, I would destroy that other human."

"Why?"

"Well, a man is capable of almost anything if someone he loves is threatened."

"Do you love me?"

Finally, an easy question! "Why, of course I love you! I've told you so often enough."

"Why?"

"Why? Because you are you, of course. You are my son, my child, my creation. I love you, just as I love my wife and my other children. You are family. Now, enough questions. It is very late, and we are both tired. You need to shut down and recharge, and I need to get some sleep." The Scientist gave his creation an affectionate pat and turned to leave the laboratory. A final query stopped him at the doorway.

"Father?"

"Yes, my son?"

"I love you."

The Scientist smiled at his creation. "And I love you, BRAIN. Now, get some sleep." He gently closed the door to the laboratory. Perhaps the BRAIN would be able to withstand the Chancellor's ambitions after all. He could only hope.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The day had arrived that the BRAIN was due to be presented to the Chancellor. Father had coached BRAIN on the proper way to speak to their country's leader, and on what the Chancellor was likely to ask of BRAIN. Father had bought a moving van for the occasion, and modified it with a window in the back and safety straps to prevent BRAIN from sliding around and being accidentally damaged. He had elected to ride in the back with his creation, and he and the BRAIN watched as the city streets rolled past. The BRAIN had dozens of questions about the city, the Chancellor, and the scenery, all of which Father tried to answer as best he could. All too soon, the ride was over, and the soldiers escorted them into the Chancellor's building where he would, hopefully, approve of Father's creation.

"Mr. Chancellor, the Fabrication Machine!" The guards at the entrance to the Chancellor's receiving hall ceremoniously swung open the doors, and the BRAIN trundled in on a wheeled stand, accompanied by Father hovering protectively at its side. It stopped a few feet in front of the Chancellor, and gave a credible imitation of a bow, its spherical body rotating downwards and one arm sweeping low across its middle. The Chancellor chuckled.

"Well, my friend, I see that you had taught it some manners. Amazing how it reacts, it is almost like a person."

"Sir, meaning no disrespect, but the BRAIN is indeed a person, a person made out of metal and wiring instead of flesh and bone, but a person all the same. I taught it how to act before you so that it would be able to work with you as a partner, not as a piece of unthinking machinery."

"Of course you did, my friend!" The Chancellor chuckled condescendingly as he turned away from the BRAIN and towards the Scientist. "Now, tell me, what is my machine capable of?"

Father sighed. He hoped that he could convince the Chancellor that BRAIN was more than simply a complicated piece of machinery. The Chancellor tended to see other people as he wanted to see them, not as they really were. Perhaps if he could explain to his leader the process behind imbuing BRAIN with a soul, he would see his creation as a person.

"My leader, before I can adequately explain the BRAIN's capabilities, I must explain its nature. You see, sir, BRAIN is not simply a complex machine, it is a thinking, sentient being, an automaton with a soul. I imbued BRAIN with a part of my own soul, so that it would be capable of making decisions based on morality, not simply on logic. This makes BRAIN into a person capable of becoming a contributing member of society, and not simply a machine made to serve the human race. BRAIN will be able to serve you and our country much better than if it were simply a machine."

"Yes, I see, you have made a machine capable of imitating life. But a machine is not a person, it can only do what it is told to do. Now tell me, what have you taught my machine to do?"

Father sighed. Well, perhaps he could convince the chancellor of BRAIN's sentience during the demonstration. "Let us demonstrate. The BRAIN is an autonomous artificial life form, capable of independent action and thought. It is able to solve problems, learn, communicate, and feel emotions. The BRAIN has demonstrated basic engineering abilities, building basic machines and drawing blueprints for more complex ones. BRAIN can show you it's machines itself."

BRAIN rolled over to a table, where several mechanical toys stood. It picked up the first, a small puppy. It moved the tail back and forth, and the puppy's head rotated back and forth in response. Next was a small kitten that waved a paw up and down. A toy car raced across the table when drawn back and let go, and a pair of marionettes, mounted on a base, flipped up and down when the base was squeezed. BRAIN had mounted a cardboard poster under each toy, with the blueprints and an explanation printed on each. The soldiers crowded around the toys, playing with them and reading the blueprints. The Chancellor, however, remained impassive.

One of the soldiers had picked up the marionettes and was starting to ask BRAIN a question about it when the Chancellor snatched it out of his hands. He held it up and spoke to Father. "Can the machine make anything larger than these toys? I will need larger machines than these."

"Why don't you ask it? BRAIN is capable of communicating, as I have told you. BRAIN cannot speak, but can write and use sign language. It can tell you everything you need to know."

"These little toys are well made, but I will need larger machines capable of defending our borders. You said that it had drawn up blueprints for more complex machines. I wish to see them. If it can design machines that can patrol our borders and repel invaders, we will have nothing to fear. No other countries will be able to come close to our borders without being noticed and taken care of."

Father frowned. BRAIN had written a response to the Chancellor's question, but the Chancellor hadn't even acknowledged BRAIN. The Chancellor was known for ignoring anyone who did not directly benefit him, but the BRAIN had his answers. Had the Chancellor even heard what Father was saying about BRAIN's intelligence? BRAIN was holding out its clipboard, its metal body in an aggrieved posture, obviously insulted. The soldiers were looking from BRAIN to the Chancellor.

"Sir, we can show you the blueprints that BRAIN had drawn up, but these blueprints are for machines for peace, repairing buildings, tilling fields, and extinguishing fires."

"Of course, these are important things to have, and we will be glad to see them. However, our country needs soldiers and weapons, not fire engines. My machines will take the place of living soldiers. They will be untiring and ruthless, the perfect war machines. With these living weapons, there will be no one who can stand against us."

Father and the BRAIN glanced at each other. The Chancellor sounded like a general preparing to attack another country, not like a leader trying to rebuild his own. The soldiers also seemed uneasy. They were veterans of the last war, and clearly did not want to see another one. "Sir, are you certain about this? Our people need to rebuild, not attack. No one is in shape for another war, and with these 'living weapons', we will certainly provoke one. If we concentrate on rebuilding, we will be much better off."

The Chancellor laughed. "My friend, who said anything about attacking? I only speak of defense of our country. Now, how soon can it be ready? I have a factory that will be able to produce anything it can design, and I wish to start production as soon as possible."

"Sir, if you give us the specifications of the factory, we should be ready as soon as BRAIN can retool itself to be compatible, perhaps as soon as twenty-four hours. We shall have to see the factory for ourselves of course, I will need to make sure BRAIN will be comfortable."

"Of course, I will arrange a tour, but why do you care that a machine is comfortable? No matter. I am glad that your experiment is a success. Soon we shall be a mighty nation once again!"

The Chancellor strode out, accompanied by his soldiers. Father sighed, and BRAIN looked disappointed.

"My son, that had not gone as well as I had hoped. It seems that our leader does not care about rebuilding this country, only conquering others. And we could not even convince him that you were a sentient person; he persists in thinking of you as a thing to be used. I hope that he will see the folly of his ideas, and use you for machines of peace. Well, let us go. We have another busy day ahead of us."

"Father, I do not wish to make weapons. What shall I do?" The evening sun streamed through the windows of the receiving hall, burnishing BRAIN's metal body to gold. Father thought it looked almost like an angel.

"My son, you are not a tool to be used as the Chancellor wishes. You must follow your conscience, and not let yourself be persuaded to do otherwise." Father sighed, and looked suddenly old and frail.

"Let us hope that is enough."


End file.
